Connect to AFP Server
Overview
So you have a Netatalk AFP server up and running and wonder: what now? This article will guide you through the basic use cases of the most common AFP clients!
The most common use case is the native AFP client that’s built in with most versions of Mac OS. This project is also providing a cross-platform AFP client simply called Netatalk Client.
On Linux and other Unix-like operating systems you have a handful of other options, notably afp-perl, or the built-in AFP client in GNOME Files (a.k.a. Nautilus.)
Mac OS Client
Connect over TCP
If you have configured Netatalk with support for Zeroconf (for Mac OS X 10.2 or later) or SLP (if running Netatalk 2.x; for Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1) service discovery should work, and the file server should automatically be listed in the Network drawer.
In Classic Mac OS, you may have to enter the IP address to the AFP file server manually in the AppleShare Client, unless you also have AppleTalk networking enabled.
AFP over TCP can be used on Mac OS 7.5 and later. Mac OS 8.1 and later supports AFP over TCP out of the box, but on older versions you need to install AppleShare Client 3.7.0 (or later.) It is also recommended to install Open Transport 1.3 if a compatible version of Open Transport is not already installed.
In general, it is recommended that you run the most recent version of the AppleShare Client that is available for your Mac OS version. Later versions fixes many bugs and quirks of the older clients.
On Classic Mac OS, open the Chooser, click on AppleShare, and then the Server IP Address… button.
On Mac OS X 10.8 or earlier, enter the Go menu, Connect to Server, enter afp://[ip address], Connect, and then the same username and password as above.
TCP Troubleshooting
Netatalk comes with a handy tool for inquiring the status of an AFP
server, asip-status, regardless of whether it’s run by Netatalk or a
real Mac. Pass the ip (v4/v6) address or “localhost” to the script to
get a status summary of a running AFP server.
Connect over AppleTalk
Note: Netatalk 4.x or 2.x is required for AppleTalk networking.
AppleTalk is compatible with the oldest version of the Macintosh System Software that supported networking, as well as network enabled Apple II and Lisa systems, up until Mac OS X 10.8.
AFP over classic AppleTalk (DDP) is plug and play, with available
servers detected automatically if the atalkd daemon is running and has
registered the AFP server.
If your Mac has both LocalTalk (modem/printer port) and EtherTalk (Ethernet) support, you can switch between the two in the AppleTalk control panel. Make sure you have the correct AppleTalk network configured before opening the Chooser.
On System 6.0.x and later, open up Chooser and select AppleTalk. The file server should be detected automatically.
On Mac OS X 10.8 or earlier, open the Finder and select Network from the left drawer. The file server should be detected automatically.
AppleTalk Troubleshooting
Bootstrapping an AppleTalk network can be fiddly on a modern network.
For AppleTalk routing to work on wireless networks, the Wi-Fi AP must be AppleTalk compatible, for instance early Apple AirPort routers. See also this 68kmla discussion thread.
The atalkd daemon will attempt to auto detect the loopback interface and
update its own atalkd.conf config file with address ranges and phase
settings. If the default configuration fails, edit the config file
manually to f.e. change to a different network interface. If atalkd
insists in rewriting its own config file in undesired ways, make the
file global read-only with file system privileges (with chmod).
Inspect the AppleTalk network with the nbplkup (uses the NBP protocol
to look up registered servers.) For instance, turn on personal file
sharing on a Classic Mac OS system on the network (Apple’s own AFP
server software) in addition to Netatalk. When you run nbplkup you
should see both the Mac’s AFP server, as well as the Netatalk AFP
server. If you can see only the latter, the routing between the Netatalk
*NIX server and the Mac isn’t working.
Sometimes the atalkd daemon fails to register the other services with
NBP. This can happen when the other daemons start before atalkd. In
this case, wait until atalkd is fully started, and then restart
netatalk and any AppleTalk services you were running.
Mac Emulators
The AFP share can be accessed also from within a Mac emulator with a network bridge, such as Basilisk II.
In Basilisk II or SheepShaver, make sure you configure the emulator with the slirp network interface, and install the AppleShare Client / Open Transport software on the emulated system as instructed above. In the TCP/IP control panel, configure DHCP and make sure you can ping the host system with OTTool or similar utility. At this point, you should be able to reach the shared drive through TCP, if not DDP.
Cross-Platform Clients
The recommended way to connect to an AFP server from a non-Mac machine is using the cross-platform Netatalk Client. Read the Getting Started guide for the basic operations.
If you’re using the GNOME desktop environment, the Files app is able to connect to afp:// URLs out of the box, providing a convenient way to get immediate access to any AFP server.
See Also
- Classic Mac Networking Guide by Mk.558
- 68kmla forum thread about configuring Netatalk for System 7.x
- Applefritter thread about AFP over TCP on System 7.x
Footnotes
Generated from the Netatalk GitHub Wiki
Last updated 2026-07-19
